A few days later, Roswell, New Mexico
"Are you sure we need to do it this way? Why can't we just tell them the truth?" asked Sarah as they drove up to her parents' house, where they and the others were waiting for their return from Seattle.
"It'll be better this way," said Jack, "Now are you ready?"
"I guess so."
The arrived and everyone got out of the van and headed for the door. They walked in, going straight to the living room. "Hello?" called Sarah, "Mom? Dad?" They rounded the corner and found them sitting around.
"Sarah!" said Liz as she got up to welcome her daughter.
"Hey," she said, then to her dad, "I missed you all so much, you have no idea." They looked to the rest of the group, seeing the kids rocket off to their grandparents' arms, and noticed someone they didn't recognize.
Sarah breathed in and out and did like they'd told her to. "Mom, Dad, this is Andrew. I met him when I was in Seattle and... we're... together, now." Max and Liz looked to each other. Finally, Max stepped forward.
"It's good to meet you, I'm Sarah's father, as you may have guessed," he said, shaking the man's hand.
"It's good to meet you too," he said slowly, putting his arm around Sarah's shoulders, attempting to make it look natural, "She's talked a lot about you." Andrew and Sarah both smiled quietly and kept their thoughts to themselves.
The others went off to say hello to their parents and a few minutes later, all were sitting in the living room. "So how's everyone in Seattle?" asked Liz anxiously.
"They're great... Zack and Jenna have changed... a lot. They still look very much like their parents," said Ricky.
"What did you guys do all this time over there?" asked Alex. They all looked to each other.
"Just... regular stuff," said Anna.
"You know, talk, visit the city, that sort of thing," said Lisa.
Later on, everyone had gone back to their respective homes. Max and Liz had gone to bed, which left Andrew and Sarah alone. She still wouldn't sit next to him when she had the choice to. She knew that it might hurt his feelings, but she couldn't help it. The two sat and watched television in silence.
"Sarah?" he asked her slowly. She turned her head to him, sitting across the room.
"Yes?"
"Are you scared of me?" he asked. She blinked.
"I..."
"I wish I didn't make you feel this way. It's weird for me too and..." He looked down. Sarah observed him for a few seconds. She hesitated for a while, then finally stood and went to sit next to him.
"I want to trust you, Andrew... I hope you understand why it's hard for me."
"I do! I really do. I swear, I won't let you down, any of you. You've given me a new life and I'm very grateful. I don't want to screw this up." She smiled. He smiled too, slowly, still not quite used to it.
"I have a question, though," said Sarah.
"What?"
"Those other X5s... What happened? Were they turned into..."
"Someone like me?" Andrew finished. Sarah was quiet. "They didn't complete the task. They got them to stage one, made them think of the escaped ones as their enemies, but they didn't take it further... they dropped the project. So the remaining X5s became employees to Lydecker, and later me..."
"But why didn't they try to escape? And what happens if they run into one of the escaped X5s one day? Will they attack?" asked Sarah.
"They were too scared to run I guess... Over the years, the events of stage one faded away."
"Oh."
"So what do we do now?" she asked.
"Well, if we're supposed to be... going out... I need to know some things about you, things that you would have told me... Your parents already think you've told me a lot about them, and I know nothing of their lives."
"Um... good point... It might take a while, though," she said with a grin.
"I'm not doing anything or going anywhere for a while..." he said, smiling as well.
"Are you sure we need to do it this way? Why can't we just tell them the truth?" asked Sarah as they drove up to her parents' house, where they and the others were waiting for their return from Seattle.
"It'll be better this way," said Jack, "Now are you ready?"
"I guess so."
The arrived and everyone got out of the van and headed for the door. They walked in, going straight to the living room. "Hello?" called Sarah, "Mom? Dad?" They rounded the corner and found them sitting around.
"Sarah!" said Liz as she got up to welcome her daughter.
"Hey," she said, then to her dad, "I missed you all so much, you have no idea." They looked to the rest of the group, seeing the kids rocket off to their grandparents' arms, and noticed someone they didn't recognize.
Sarah breathed in and out and did like they'd told her to. "Mom, Dad, this is Andrew. I met him when I was in Seattle and... we're... together, now." Max and Liz looked to each other. Finally, Max stepped forward.
"It's good to meet you, I'm Sarah's father, as you may have guessed," he said, shaking the man's hand.
"It's good to meet you too," he said slowly, putting his arm around Sarah's shoulders, attempting to make it look natural, "She's talked a lot about you." Andrew and Sarah both smiled quietly and kept their thoughts to themselves.
The others went off to say hello to their parents and a few minutes later, all were sitting in the living room. "So how's everyone in Seattle?" asked Liz anxiously.
"They're great... Zack and Jenna have changed... a lot. They still look very much like their parents," said Ricky.
"What did you guys do all this time over there?" asked Alex. They all looked to each other.
"Just... regular stuff," said Anna.
"You know, talk, visit the city, that sort of thing," said Lisa.
Later on, everyone had gone back to their respective homes. Max and Liz had gone to bed, which left Andrew and Sarah alone. She still wouldn't sit next to him when she had the choice to. She knew that it might hurt his feelings, but she couldn't help it. The two sat and watched television in silence.
"Sarah?" he asked her slowly. She turned her head to him, sitting across the room.
"Yes?"
"Are you scared of me?" he asked. She blinked.
"I..."
"I wish I didn't make you feel this way. It's weird for me too and..." He looked down. Sarah observed him for a few seconds. She hesitated for a while, then finally stood and went to sit next to him.
"I want to trust you, Andrew... I hope you understand why it's hard for me."
"I do! I really do. I swear, I won't let you down, any of you. You've given me a new life and I'm very grateful. I don't want to screw this up." She smiled. He smiled too, slowly, still not quite used to it.
"I have a question, though," said Sarah.
"What?"
"Those other X5s... What happened? Were they turned into..."
"Someone like me?" Andrew finished. Sarah was quiet. "They didn't complete the task. They got them to stage one, made them think of the escaped ones as their enemies, but they didn't take it further... they dropped the project. So the remaining X5s became employees to Lydecker, and later me..."
"But why didn't they try to escape? And what happens if they run into one of the escaped X5s one day? Will they attack?" asked Sarah.
"They were too scared to run I guess... Over the years, the events of stage one faded away."
"Oh."
"So what do we do now?" she asked.
"Well, if we're supposed to be... going out... I need to know some things about you, things that you would have told me... Your parents already think you've told me a lot about them, and I know nothing of their lives."
"Um... good point... It might take a while, though," she said with a grin.
"I'm not doing anything or going anywhere for a while..." he said, smiling as well.